Designer drugs prohibition

The designer drug ban now seems to be becoming a reality. What exactly does this ban mean? And what will be the possible consequences of this? In this article we look at these questions and look for the answers.

What exactly are designer drugs?

Designer drugs are a group of chemicals also known as Research Chemicals or new psychoactive substances. In most cases, these substances are derived from drugs that have already been banned. These new psychoactive substances often exhibit similar effects as the substances from which they are derived. However, there is a difference and that is that they are not yet banned. This is because producers often use clever tricks to circumvent the law. For example, they can modify one or more molecules of an illegal drug. This means that this illegal drug is suddenly no longer illegal. With this new designer drugs ban, the government wants to ensure that the cat and mouse game that manufacturers play with the government and the police and the judiciary comes to an end. But will such a ban really work? Or does it just move the problem?

What does the designer drug ban mean?

Because of the aforementioned cat and mouse game, the government has been working on a bill for some time. With this bill they want to ban several substance groups in one fell swoop. The government hopes to put an end to this with such a designer drug ban. By stopping the producers. By banning substance groups, these producers can no longer make comparable designer drugs. This is because these have already been banned in advance. This prevents manufacturers from making small adjustments to a particular substance every time. This allows them to circumvent the law time and time again. The bill for a designer drug ban has been in the works for several years. However, it now seems to be happening.

When will there be a ban?

As we just mentioned, the government has been working on a bill for a designer drug ban for several years. However, this process has now accelerated. After months of meetings and a six-hour debate in December 2023, the House of Representatives voted on this designer drugs ban on January 16, 2024. The outcome of this vote is negative for the production of Research Chemicals. All political parties except Groenlinks-PVDA and D66 voted in favor of the bill. As a result, the House of Representatives passed the law. It may therefore happen that things will change quickly.

How will it go on?

Now that the House of Representatives has passed the bill for a designer drug ban, the bill will now go to the Senate. They will meet again on this subject in the First. They will also have to vote on this bill in this chamber. If the bill is also adopted in the Senate, this means the law is final. The law will subsequently be published in the Government Gazette. A date will then be announced when it will come into effect.

Which substance groups are banned?

The designer drug ban will not include all substance groups, but it will include some of the most well-known ones. This concerns the following groups of substances: substances derived from 4-aminopiperidine, substances derived from 2-phenethylamine and the stoef group of synthetic cannabinoids. Now the substance groups in general will not ring many bells, but a very important one of these substance groups is the 2-phenethylamine group. This group contains very well-known substances such as: 2-CMC en 2-MMC. A ban on this group of substances will therefore mean that all cathinones will be banned and that there will be no new replacements for this well-known group of substances.

Will a designer drug ban help?

It remains to be seen whether a designer drug ban will really help. A similar ban has already been introduced in the United Kingdom. It turned out that a huge shift was taking place. People who previously used Research Chemicals then switched to even worse and illegal substances such as: cocaine, crack, heroin and speed. The number of fatalities caused by illegal impure designer drugs also increased sharply after the ban was introduced. This mainly happened among the homeless and other vulnerable groups. The criminal world will also benefit significantly from a designer drug ban. While these substances are currently still made in official laboratories, after a ban this will only happen in unhygienic home, garden and kitchen labs. This also likely increases the risk of illegal dumping of drug waste and contaminated Research Chemicals.

Our conclusion

We at Flowstoflab believe that such a designer drug ban will not make any difference. In our opinion it will only cause more crime, more damage to the environment and an increase in impure Research Chemicals which will in turn lead to a higher number of poisonings of users. We argue for more information, regulation and also more supervision of quality. It remains to be seen whether the ban really works, but the government will have to make a huge investment, the outcome of which is not yet certain.